Broadcast seed sower and fertilizer distributer



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. y

W. W. LORD.

BROADCAST SEED SOWBR AND PERTILIZER'DISTRIBUTER.

No. 351,988. Patented'Nov. '2, 1886.

HI! mu (No Model.) 2 SheetsShet 2.

w. w. LORD. BROADCAST SEED SOWER AND FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTBR.

No 351,988. Patented Nov; Z, 1886.

1'4; Z1? ass as UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

WILLIAM W. LORD, OF RAOINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO FREEMAN & SONS, OF SAME PLACE.

BROADCAST SEED-SOWER AND JTIERTILIZER-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,988, dated November 2,1886. Application filed March 1t), 1886. Serial No. 194,685. (No model.)

Figure 1 represents a rear elevation of my device attached to an ordinary wagon-bed;

Fig. 2, a plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a de-- tail view of the shifting-lever and socket detached; Fig. 4, an under side View of Fig. 3 with the parts operatively connected; Fig. 5, a detail perspective View of the distributor; Fig. 6, a longitudinal vertical section of my device on line a: at, Fig. 1; Fig. 7, adetail view showing the bearing for the upper end of the distributor-shaft; Fig. 8, an under side view of the hopper, &c.; and Fig. 9, a detail perspective view of a portion of the plunger and its connecting-lever.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents the forward or horizontal portion, and B the vertically-depending or rear portion, of the hopper of my sower. The forward portion, A, of the hopper, that forms a receivingbOX for the material to be sown, is intended to rest upon the bottom of a wagonbody, G, at one side thereof, and be detachably secured to said wagon-body in any suitable manner. The vertical portion or deliverybox B of the hopper extends outside the rear end of the wagonbody, and is designed to support the operative elements of the sower,

To facilitate the flow of the material to be sown toward the vertical or delivery portion B of the hopper, the horizontal part A thereof is provided with an inclined bottom, a, and to enable the operator to have access to the lower interior portion of said hopper I provide the latters rear side with an opening, a, designed to be closed by a slide, (L The vertical portion B of the hopper has its top b and rear side, 0, cut away to receive. a segmental shell, D, that is provided with a continuous angular flange, d, designed to bear against the exterior of said hopper and be secured thereto by suitable bolts.

The main interior portion of the shell D forms a housing for a main gear-wheel, E, keyed to a shaft, F, that is journaled in bearings ff, respectively secured to the angular flange d and to a projection, g, of the hopper-top b, said flange being provided withlugs h, between which the bearing f is seated, to prevent its longitudinal displacement. One side of the shell D is offset at t' to form a housing for a pinion on the upper end of a distribntershaft, H, said pinion being arranged to mesh with the gear-wheel E, and the distributer-shaft provided with a stirring-pin, m.

The upper end of the distributer-shaft H is reduced, as shown at k, and this reduced portion thereof has its bearing in a bushing, 01, forming a part of a plate, I, that is bolted to the bottom of the shell D near its rear end. The bushing n of the plate I extends in a downward direction to fit within a perforation, 0, in the bottom of the shell D, the diameter of this perforation being slightly greater than that of the distributor-shaft, so as to readily admit the passage of the latter to its lower bearing in the hopper-bottom K.

By the construction just described and illustrated in detail, Fig. 7, I facilitate the setting up of the machine and form a strong bearing for that point of the distributer-shaft on which comes the greatest strain, and at the same time I accomplish asaving in the metal forming the shell D. Y

The hopper-bottomKis provided with openings p for the passage of the material to be sown, and between thisbottom and a guideplate, IWI, bolted thereto is operatively secured a gage-plate, N, having openings 1", designed to register with those in said hopper-bottom.

It is intended that each machine shall be accompanied with a series of interchangeable gage-plates, the openings therein being graduated, so as to readily adapt the machine to the sowing of different varieties of seed and grain, and each plate is held in operativeposition by a spring-key, s, passing through it and said guide-plate.

The distributer' is preferably composed of four overlapping irregular-shaped sections of sheet metal secured to each other and the flange tof a hub, P, the latter being rigidly connected to the shaft H. Each of the sheet-metal sections composing the distributer has its edge u curled up and over in such a manner as to form a semi-cylindrical face radial to the shaft H, and extended beyond the straight edge a of the adjacent underlapping section,the greatest curl of said edge It being at the outermost point.

This construction results in a comparatively inexpensive distributer that gives an even and thorough cast to the seed or other material to be sewn, and at the same time eheapens the construction of the machine.

Secured to a rod, Q, that passes through the bottom K, outside the hopper, is a triangular cut-off plate, R, provided with. openings 1), designed to be brought in or out of register with those in said hoppenbottom and gageplate M. The rod Q has its upper end fast to a shifting-lever, S, that is retained in its adjusted position by a segmental rack, T, bolted to the top I) of the hopper, and designed to engage a lug, w, projecting from the under side of said lever. This rack T has its flange 1 provided with slots 1 and is thereby readily adjusted to compensate for thelost motion that may be variously occasioned in the adjacent relative mechanism, thus always providing for the proper operation of the cutoff plate R.

The shifting-lever S is preferably composed of a blade of spring-steel seated in a casting, S, that fits upon the rod Q, and has areduced part, b, that is provided with lugs c. This reduced portion of the casting S is designed to fit a bracket, S, bolted to the flange (Z of the part D, and having recesses d, to admit the passage of the lugs c. When the casting S and the bracket S" are in operative position, the lugs 0 come under against said bracket and prevent any dislocation of the parts.

Secured to the top I) of the hopper is arightangular bracket, U, having its base provided with a rectangular opening, a, and within this opening arejournaled friction rollers 0. Passing between the friction-rollers e, and on down through the hopper-top, is aplunger, V, provided on its lower end with a series of lateral projections g, and pivotally connected at its upper end to an arm, \V, the trunnions h of which latter are journaled in the bifurcated end i of the vertical portion of the bracket U. The arm \V is connected by a link, X, to

- a pin, k, extended from the inner face of the gear-wheel E, and by this connection a reciprocative motion is transmitted to the plunger V. This plunger acts to increase the agitation of the material in the hopper and pre vents the same from packing so as to clog up the delivery-openings, and thereby seriously affect the successful operation of the machine. \Vhen the machine is used for distributing fertilizers, the plunger is especially valuable, as in such instances, but one opening only being employed for the delivery of the material, said plunger is so arranged that its downstroke will finish in line with this opening, and thus tend to force said material through the same, the projections g constantly cutting and disintegrating the mass while the machine is in operation.

The shaft F is provided with the usnalloose sprocket-wheel, F, having one side thereof provided with teeth to engage a clutch, F rigid on said shaft. An angular spannerarm, Y, embraces the hub of the sprocketwheel, and is secured thereon between collars m. The spanner-arm is adj ustably connected to a shifting-lever, Z, pivoted to casting Z that is secured to the hopper-top b, and provided with a depression, a, to engage the forward portion Z of said lever, this latter part being composed of spring-steel.

interposed between the bearing f and hub of the sprocket-wheel F is a spring, G, coiled about the shaft H, and when the shifting-lever is operated to disengage the clutch mechanism this spring is compressed. The forward portion, Z, of the shifting-lever being of spring-steel, only aslight upward pressure is necessary to disengage it from its catch, and when such operation takes place the expansive force of the spring G causes an immediate automatic engagement of the clutch-teeth on the sprocket-wheel F with the clutch F. The sprocket-wheel F is intended to be geared in the usual manner to one of the rear wheels of a wagon, and from this source the motive power is derived for operating the sewer.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A broadcast sower having its hopper composed of a forward horizontal receivingbox adapted to be secured within a wagonbody, and a rear vertical depending delivery portion designed to extend out from said wagon-body and support the operative elements of the device, as set forth.

2. A broadcast sower having its hopper composed of aforward horizontal portion provided with an inclined bottom, and adapted to be secured within a wagon-body, and a rear vertically-depending portion designed to extend out from said wagon-body, and having one of its sides, near the bottom thereof, provided with a covered opening, said vertical portion of the hopper also forming a support for the operative elements of the machine, as set forth.

3. A broadcast sower having the vertical portion thereof provided with a segmental shell forming a housing for the main gearwheel and the pinion on the distribnter-shaft, as set forth.

4. A broadcast sower provided with a shell having a continuous angular flange and adapted to fit within a cutaway portion at the upper rear end of the hopper, the main interior portion of the shell forming a housing for the main gear-wheel, and one side of said shell offset to form a housing for a pinion 011 the distributer-shaft, as set forth.

5.'Abroadcast sower having a segmental shell set in the upper rear end of the hopper and adapted to form a housing for the main gear-wheel and distributer-shaft pinion, the bottom of said'shell provided with a perforation, and a plate adapted to be secured to the shell-bottom, and having its forward ends formed with a downward-extending bushing designed to fit the perforation in said shellbottom and the reduced upper end of the distributer-shaft, as set forth.

6. A broadcast sower having the distributer thereof composed of overlapping irregularshaped sections secured to a suitable hub, and one edge of each section curled up and over to form a semi-cylindrical face radial to the con ter of the distributershaft, as set forth.

7. A broadcast sower having the distributer thereof composed of overlapping irregular sheet-metal sections secured to a suitable hub, and one edge ofeach section curled up and over to form a semi-cylindrical face radial to the center of the distributer-shaft and extended beyond the straight edge of the adjacent underlapping part, as set forth.

8. A broadcast sower having the distributer thereof composed of overlapping irregularshaped sections secured toa suitable hub, each section having one of its edges curled up and over to form a semi-cylindrical face radial to the center of the distributor-shaft, with the greatest curl at the outermost point, as set forth.

9. A broadcast sower having a triangular cut-off plate provided with openings adapted to be brought in and out of register with the discharge-openings in the hopper-bottom and seed-plate, a vertical rod connected to said cut-off plate, and a shifting-lever in turn connected to the rod, in combination with a segmental rack adjustably secured to the hoppertop to engage the lever, as set forth.

10. A broadcast sower having a triangular cutoff plate pivotally connected to a vertical shiftingrod and provided with openings adapted to be brought in and out of register with the discharge-openings in the hopper-bottom and seed-plates, as set forth.

11. A broadcast sower having the shiftinglever for the cut-off rod composed of a springsteel blade seated in a casting adapted to fit said rod, and said casting provided with a reduced portion adapted to fit a suitable bearing, as set forth.

12. A broadcast sower having the shiftinglever for the cut-off plate composed of a springsteel blade provided with a depending lug and seated in a casting having a reduced portion adapted to fit the cut-off rod, and provided with lugs, in combination with a bracket designed as a bearing for the reduced portion of the lever and provided with recesses to admit the passage of the lugs on said reduced portion of the lever, and an adjustable rack adapted to engage the depending lug of the springblade, as set forth.

13. The combination, in a broadcast seedsower, of a stationary hopper, a verticallyreciprocating plunger having projections g,

the driving-shaft, and connections through which the plunger is reciprocated by the drivingshaft, as set forth.

14. A broadcast sower provided with a plunger designed to operate within the hopper thereof, an arm connected at one end by a link and pin to the main gear-wheel of the machine, and an angular bracket forming a bearingjfor the arm and a guide for the plunger, as set forth.

15. A broadcast sower having its hoppertop provided with an opening, an angular bracket adapted to be secured to the hoppertop, and also provided with an opening designed to register with the one in said top, and friction-rollers journaled in the bracketopening, in combination with a plunger operative between the friction-rolls and depending into the hopper, an arm having a link-connection with the main gear-wheel and pivotally secured to the upper end of the plunger and bracket, as set forth.

16. A broadcast sower having an opening in its hopper-top, a right-angular bracket hav ing an opening in its base adapted to register with the one in the hopper-top, and the upper end of the vertical portion of said bracket bifurcated to form bearings for the trunnions on an arm having one end thereof linked to the main gear-wheel, and frictionrollers journaled in the opening of the bracket-base and designed as guides for a plunger pivoted to the suspended arm and depending into the hopper, as set forth.

17. In a broadcast sower, a clutch-faced sprocket-wheel'loose on a'driving-shaft and clutch on said shaft, in combination with a spring steel lever adj ustably united to the spanner-arm and designed to engage a suitable casting secured to the hopper-top, as set forth.

I11 testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Louisville, in II 5 the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, in the presence of two witnesses.

V ILLIAM W. LORD.

WVitnessesz- W. S. CALDWELL, J. S. KLINE. 

